


I'll Make the World Safe and Sound for You

by yorkisms



Category: X-Ray & Vav (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, X-Ray is like 9 so no hero names, X-Ray's family has no money, adopted family dynamics, can take place in styrofoam plates or stop the presses your choice, food mentioned and discussed, hobo dad Rusty, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 01:44:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7147049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yorkisms/pseuds/yorkisms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I swear that I'll be around for you<br/>I'll do whatever it takes <br/>I'll make a million mistakes<br/><i>I'll make the world safe and sound for you.</i></p>
<p>Or: A future superhero takes his morning walk to school, and does a good deed for someone he knows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Make the World Safe and Sound for You

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my inspirations, my motivations:  
> Val (leave-xray-alone on tumblr) for giving me this idea, thanks  
> Kerry (ozpinschair on tumblr), for getting me into dad Rusty hell, love this old man  
> Perry (mettatoning on tumblr) for being my cheerleader 
> 
> Enjoy!

Ray’s alarm radio wakes him up at 6:30 with the sounds of classic rock.

 

_ And you're minding your own business _

_ Carrying spare change _

_ You wouldn't cosh a barber _

_ You're hungry all the same _

_ I been very tempted _

_ To grab it from the till _

_ I been very hungry _

_ But not enough to kill-- _

 

He groans softly, rolls over, and turns the radio off. 

 

He waits a minute. The apartment is silent, as he suspected it would be, although he’s not sure if that means his mom is gone already, or is still gone, or sleeping. 

 

Either way. The latest he can catch the city bus to get to school on time is 7:00.

 

He throws the sheets off and rolls out of bed.

 

He dresses quickly, the same clothes as two days ago because he hasn’t really got any clean shirts. In another lifetime he might think nobody would notice or care, but somebody would. No getting around it, though.

 

He brushes his teeth, too, he needs to use a stool his mom keeps in the bathroom to even reach the sink. He drags it out and manages. 

 

In the kitchen, he inspects the fridge. He has leftovers from dinner last night. 

 

It’s not a lot, but he has to save what little else there is. The fridge is essentially barren save for his food, the school provides him lunch and on her breaks his mom gets home, somehow, and leaves him a meal in the fridge. 

 

Typically, he has to split that between dinner and breakfast, if he doesn’t it’s a good day. 

 

He looks at the clock- it’s 6:50. The buses normally run late, but that means he should really move. 

 

Ray grabs the capri sun, ham slices, and peanut butter cup that he didn’t eat last night and shoves them in his jacket pockets. He pulls his apartment keys out of his backpack and locks the door on his way out. 

Rather than wait for the slow, prone-to-breaking elevator, Ray takes the stairs. As he steps out of the front door, an old newspaper blows by him.

 

He walks a few steps before stopping in front of the alley between his building and the next, and then he leans partways into it.

 

“Um...hello?”

 

He waits for a response for a minute or two, and is about to give up and continue to the bus stop when the garbage shifts and a familiar face crawls out. Ray grins. 

 

“Rusty!” 

 

“Hey, kid,” Rusty replies, yawning. 

 

“Time for school already?”

 

Ray nods. Rusty stands up and walks over, ruffling Ray’s hair. 

 

“Well, let’s go.”

 

They start back down the street, together this time. 

 

“You went to that friend of your’s house yesterday, huh?”

 

Ray nods. “Yeah! His house was super nice and really big and he had a ton of new games.”

 

“Did you do your homework last night?”

 

“Yeah, of course I did--”

 

“Did you?”

 

“Yeah!” Ray frowns at Rusty, who smirks. 

 

“It was just math, that’s all!” 

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

Ray falls silent for a moment. “How was  _ your _ day?”

 

Rusty pauses, blinking. That’s not really something he should be talking to a kid about, quite honestly, so he’s stunned silent trying to think of a lie. Ray senses the awkwardness and plays with the straps on his backpack. 

 

“I mean, um, did you get any money to move back into the building? Cause I liked it better when you lived down the hall and mom says it’s dangerous down there at night and it’s really cold and I dunno.” He looks down at his feet. 

 

“And mom also keeps saying things could always be  _ worse _ , and I think that’s what she means, but...it’s weird.” 

 

“Weird how?” 

 

“I…” Ray pauses, confused and lost in a conversation at least twice his age. 

 

“I...guess I worry about you?” he says, finally, unsure. “I don’t want you to have to go.”

 

_ Like dad. _

 

“I won’t.”

 

“You don’t know that.”

 

Rusty sighs softly, then puts one arm around Ray’s shoulders. “It’s okay. I’ll do my best, okay?”

 

Ray nods, then fishes the food out of his pockets. 

 

“I figure-- if you don’t need to buy food, you can save more money, right?”

 

“Kid, you don’t need-”

 

“Please?”

 

Ray pauses, almost faltering. He’s pretty sure this is something Gavin would do, knowing his friend, and Gavin is a good person whose example he should definitely follow. Besides which he really does care what happens. His mom is never really around, and his dad left not even two years ago. The wound is still fresh. 

 

Ray doesn’t trust any adults. Rusty is the exception, and that makes his (former) neighbor definitely someone Ray doesn’t want to lose. 

 

Rusty sighs, taking the package out of his hands. 

 

“If it makes you happy, kid.”

 

They arrive at the bus stop just as the city bus is pulling up.

 

“You got your bus pass?”

 

Ray nods. 

 

“Okay.” 

 

Rusty gives him a tight hug, which is over too soon for Ray’s tastes. He rushes onto the bus and grabs a seat by the window. He presses his face up against the glass and waves as the bus pulls away. 

 

As soon as he’s too far away to see Rusty anymore, he slumps back downs into his seat. His stomach growls loudly, protesting his decision.

  
He doesn’t care. He pulls his jacket tight around him and revels in the fleeting feeling of being loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Bookmark/like/comment if you enjoyed, I take requests on my tumblr (mttbrand-suffering)!


End file.
